One More Chance
by RikuRoyalty
Summary: All he was given was an empty world, one that plagued him of his memories. But when the Fayth give him another chance, a chance to see Yuna again, he jumps at the opportunity. Now Tidus is sent to a magical world where he is to help our hero, Mr. Potter.
1. Prolouge

Pain gripped itself in my heart as I sat in my own private dream, alone. I thought of Yuna and wondered how she was making out to be the only live High Summoner. I also thought about Kimarhi, and how the Ronso were doing after Seymour's attack. I laughed as I thought of Rikku and her clumsiness; no doubt she'd be on some other adventure and dragging Yuna into it. I smiled as I thought about my dark but sister-like friend. No doubt Lulu would move on from Chappu and find Wakka. It was obvious that they had liked each other, or at least, obvious to me. I sighed as I thought of Wakka. He was my best friend, and my only brother figure. I scratched my head as I tried to imagine him with Lulu.

A single tear rolled down my face and into the Spring I was currently standing over. As a 'reward' for my help in defeating Sin, the Fayth gave me my own personal dream. It was a dream where I could wallow in my fondest memories. Right now, I was overlooking the Spring where Yuna and I discovered our love for each other. I had a tendency to visit this place the most and I had a feeling it was because it was my best memory. Sadly, it was also a painful memory.

My world was missing a few cities, but that didn't bother me. I had Besaid, Luca, the Moonflow, Macalania Woods, and even Zanarkind. The only difference was that there weren't any people and Zanarkind was a city, not just a bunch of ruins. I sighed as I went over my memories for what felt like a thousandth time. I know I sound miserable in doing this, but in truth I was simply bored. It had already been a week since the Fayth had sent me here.

I wasn't completely alone. There was the dead to consider, but they weren't really up to much conversation. Not to mention I didn't know very many of them, and the people I did know were even worse. Things were still awkward between my Old Man and I, but that was to be expected. I was still angry with Auron for keeping secrets during the journey so I was avoiding him at the moment. Braska had proven to be a good guy, but he reminded me of Yuna and being with him only reminded me of her.

I shuddered as I felt a presence behind me. I knew who it was, and quite frankly I was not happy about seeing him. "What do you want Bahamut?" I asked in an annoyed tone. Couldn't the Fayth just leave me to my misery? Oh yeah, that's right, they're the _Fayth_. That meant that they were practically my Gods, seeing as how they created me and all.

"I have come on behalf of all Aeons to ask what makes you unhappy." He said in his wise and misty voice. I looked over my shoulder to see his childish body and wondered how it was ever able to produce a mighty dragon-like Aeon. I gave him a frown and sighed at the Fayth's ignorance to human emotion.

"I just feel like I got the short end of the stick." I finally replied as I sat down on the sandy ground. I knew the Fayth was just trying to cheer me up, to make me feel like I belonged here but to tell the truth, it was lonely. I missed everyone, Yuna especially.

"Would you like to hold her once again?" My eyes lit up at the question as I turned around to face Bahamut. I waited to hear what he had to say.

"I can allow it. One little dream would be nothing compared to the city of Zanarkind." My eyes grew wide in excitement but then I felt shame. I thought of all the years that the Fayth had dreamed just to keep Zanarkind from disappearing completely. "However, this dream will disappear, and when you die again you will join the others in the Farplane. Also, I have a favor to ask."

I stood up from my spot and looked over the hooded child in front of me. The Fayth would never lie, but the favor was probably deadly, if not dangerous. I didn't mind this world disappearing, memories could be a painful thing, especially when you couldn't make any more of them. "What's this 'favor' about?" I asked cautiously, not wanting to go in without the details.

With a wave of his hand, Bahamut motioned to the Spring and walked up to it. I looked down to see a whirlpool with images being played in the middle. It reminded me of the movie spheres back in Spira. "There is another world where both Machina and Magic exist, however instead of being used together they are separate, practically hidden from each other." I waited for him to continue, "This separation, however, triggered advancement in both Magic and Machina. It allowed both sides to get powerful. So powerful, that it was too dangerous for them to be used, a truly horrible thing if brought into the wrong hands." Another wave of his hand and he showed people shooting at each other with guns and then people throwing spells at each other. They were strange spells that came out of a stick of some sort.

"The hidden society of Magic is very close to the brink of war, as a Dark Mage uses this dangerous magic to kill people based on a discrimination of some sort. It is very similar to Spira and the prejudice against the Al Bhed." I scratched the back of my head as I thought about Rikku and Wakka. "However, this Lord Voldemort, as he calls himself," I snickered at the cliché name. "Takes this prejudice belief a bit too far. He plans to rid the world of people who he deems unworthy. Ironically enough, he is a half-breed of what he deems 'unworthy'." I shrugged. Being half of something wasn't all bad. I thought of Yuna and smiled, but then again there were others who didn't take it so well. I grimaced as I thought of Seymour.

"So, wait. Where do I come in, in all this?" I asked a little uncertainly. Bahamut smiled and with another wave of his hand he showed a picture of a teenage boy with messy black hair and bright green eyes. A lightning-shaped scar peer through his bangs as a light smile touched his lips. I gave a confused look before Bahamut began explaining.

"Some years ago, there was a prophecy made about Voldemort and a child born in July. Somehow, the Dark Lord caught word of this prophecy and decided to put an end to it before it could begin. The child was only a year old when Voldemort killed his parents and tried to kill him. However, the spell meant to kill the child rebounded and killed the caster of the spell. Leaving the child with a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead." I thought about it for a minute. Prophecies weren't something I was very familiar with but I knew for a fact that they were tricky things to be messed with. Anything that dealt with time was tricky, and I should know, I specialize in Time Magic.

"So, you want me to help this kid?" I asked, still unsure of what I was meant to do. I knew there was a grin on the hooded child's face as I said that but I honestly wasn't getting it. "But wait, isn't Voldemort dead?" I said, going through the story again, this was confusing me. The only way he could get his hands on the kid was if he was an unsent.

"That is where their magic comes in. Prior to the incident, Voldemort severed his soul into seven pieces and housed them into items, keeping him tied to this world." I shivered at the thought of having my soul torn into seven pieces. That would not feel pleasant.

"So, he's still alive? Oh man, does that mean I got to kill him six more times?" I shook my head, and I thought Sin was bad. At least this one was human, sort of.

"No, it is the boy's destiny to kill Voldemort. You are to help in the war in whatever way you can. An outside view may help with this upcoming war. I will not force you to do anything, but I advise you to be cautious in trusting people. Also to keep your Magic to a minimum. It is to my understanding that you also know some Black and White Magic, is that correct?" I nodded. Lulu taught me the Black Magic, thinking it would help me and I asked Yuna to teach me White Magic. I knew the basics and I'm pretty sure that if I practiced I could learn some more advanced stuff on my own, but I had never tried.

"I will give you a day to think about it. If you succeed, then I will allow you to walk beside her once again." I grinned at Bahamut, feeling better than I had been in days. I wasn't really keen on going into war, but if it meant seeing Yuna again then I was all for it.

"I don't need a day!" I said eagerly as I stretched and did a back flip. "I mean, what do I have to lose? Besides my life and I don't really have that anymore." Bahamut chuckled at my childish action before reaching into his pocket to grab something. I looked at him curiously as he pulled out my old pouch used to store all kinds of things without ever really getting full or heavy. He tossed it to me to which I caught easily with my Blitzball reflexes.

"This will help you prepare for what you're about to face. I even took the liberty of providing you with a weapon." I raised an eyebrow before opening the pouch. A familiar blue gleam was shining from the darkness. I grabbed the hilt eagerly and pulled out Brotherhood. It felt so good to feel this sword in my hand. It had been a gift from Wakka and had been something I treasured deeply. "There are also gifts, from your friends." Looking back into the pouch I gasped as I saw all the gifts I had received.

Yuna had given me a bangle, one that automatically cast Protect and raised my Health by forty percent. Lulu gave me a pendant that raised my Magic and Magic Defense by thirty, while Wakka on the other hand gave me gauntlets that raised my strength by thirty. Rikku had left me a variety of Al Bhed grenades and potions, while Kimarhi gave me a bracelet that increased my luck. I stared at the items, not really wanting to touch them yet.

"Are you ready?" asked Bahamut as he watched my reaction to the gifts. I looked up at him and then down at the whirlpool in the Spring.

"Do you think I could . . . see her again? I just want a glimpse." The boy-like figure studied me for a minute before waving his hand over the pool. There was an image of Yuna standing at the dock. I smiled at her and at Lulu who was walking to her. Slowly Yuna brought her fingers up to her lips and whistled. My eyes grew wide at the sight. She was whistling for me. I hung my head as the image disappeared. "I'm ready." I said with newfound confidence. I would make it back to Spira. I would make it back to Yuna. I was ready for this, ready to go to a new world. I put my sword back into the pouch as I strapped on the little bag.

"If you wish for our help then simply pray to us and we will be at your aid." I nodded at Bahamut before turning my attention to what he was doing. He waved his hand and once again the whirlpool changed, only this time it was pitch black. "This is a portal to their world; it will be uncomfortable so prepare yourself." I nodded before turning to the Spring. I closed my eyes and concentrated the same way I did before a Blitzball game. I stepped forward into the whirlpool, opening my eyes only slightly. The next thing I knew, I was thrown into darkness.


	2. Chapter 1

Me: You know, I've always wanted to write a FFX fanfic. I dunno, maybe it's just because I like Tidus's personality, and his love for Yuna.

Friend: As long as you like it.

Me: YUP!

* * *

Let me take this minute to say that I have been through a lot of crazy things. First I had to find a stone that granted immortality so that a lunatic didn't get his hands on it first. Then I had to fight a giant snake that could kill me if I looked it in the eye. Don't forget the year of living in fear thinking that a murderer was after me, in which, it turns out was my Godfather. Then comes the tournament I wanted no part in, but ended up having to fight a dragon only to watch a friend die and an evil lord come back. But no, when I try to warn everybody, I'm shoved off as a child with delusions and a prejudice teacher who adored pink was sent to 'watch over me'.

Yes, I had seen a lot of crazy things, but then again when you live in a world of magic, you can only hope that you make it through alive. It wasn't like I didn't have fun at times. There was always Quidditch, Ron and Hermione, but sometimes I just wasn't in the mood for fun. This was one of those times.

I walked by the lake as the sun was starting to set in the horizon. I would be lying if I said I was fine. I thought of Sirius. I replayed the scene of which he died over and over again. To fall into the veil meant certain death, which I knew. I had no hope of seeing him again, but that didn't mean I couldn't be alone with my memories for awhile. The lake was surprisingly calming, despite what I knew was in its depths. I walked around on the sandy shore, just watching the light ripples pierce through the watery surface.

I sighed as I leaned over to pick up a rock. I checked to see how flat it was before I tried skipping it. I had seen Hagrid do this many times before when he was depressed. It took a lot of concentration to try and balance the rock on the right angle so that it would skip. I suppose I just could've used magic, but it felt good to keep my mind off something.

It was only the first week back at Hogwarts and I could already feel the changes in the school. First there was Snape, who had won his position as Defense against the Dark Arts teacher while Slughorn took on the Potions position. He was a decent teacher, even if he did play favorites. It wasn't like he was terrible to the other students, just indifferent.

I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to skip another stone. Another failure. "What's the matter Harry?" I jumped slightly at the misty voice behind me. Turning around, I saw my Ravenclaw friend Luna tilting her head at me in curiosity.

"Hey, Luna." I said as I reached down to pick up another rock. I really wasn't in the mood for talking, but it wasn't going to object to her being here. "I'm fine, just a bit tired." I threw the rock to the lake, successfully making it jump twice before falling into the water.

"You should be careful when you think, Harry. Nargles tend to flock near you," I gave her a look that said, 'Are you serious?' before picking another stone. "Although, you should also be careful where you throw those rocks. You might hit that yellow flower over there." I looked to see where she was pointing in the middle of the lake. There was indeed something light colored and peculiar there, but it did not look like a flower.

"Luna, go get Professor Dumbledore." I said as I reached into my robe to grab my wand. Luna looked at me before walking off back to the school. I knew she would listen to me, she also seemed to understand how close we were to war, even if it was only a vague understanding.

I walked cautiously around the lake to get a look at whatever was floating in the lake. If only the water were clearer, then it would be easier to see exactly what it was. Oddly enough, it was slowly flowing by the shore. I pointed my wand at it, a little unsure of what I should really be doing.

As it got closer, I could see that whatever features it contained was most likely human. There were shoulders connected to the yellowish-gold hair that I could now identify. Whoever it was, they were lying in the water face-down so they were sure to be dead. I could hear footsteps behind me and I turned to see Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape hurrying to see what it was that I have found.

"Mr. Potter, what is it that you would eagerly need us?" asked McGonagall. I shrugged and pointed to the body floating in the lake. Everyone stilled at whoever was being pushed onto shore by the waves. "

Minerva, I would kindly ask if you would bring Miss Lovegood back inside with whatever remaining students," said Professor Dumbledore as he watched the body curiously. My Head of House nodded and scurried all the curious students along while the Headmaster and Snape stayed where they were.

"Now, Harry. I would very much like to hear your tale of how you came across this, but for now I think we should move it. Severus, if you please-?" He gesture toward the body as Snape pulled out his wand and started lifting the body up from the water. Whoever it was, he was male with unusually tan skin and blonde hair that shimmered gold in the light. His outfit consisted of a shirt that revealed his chest and a pant leg that was longer than the other one. As I looked closer, there was a jagged 'J' on the clothing and a sliver chain on his side.

"Poor boy." I heard Dumbledore whisper as he overlooked the floating body. Snape carefully laid him on the sand with his wand before waiting for Dumbledore's orders. "We should give this lad a proper burial. A headstone should be in order-" He was cut short by a sound that made me jump. I looked down at the stranger in fright as he _groaned. _I looked at my Professor's, a little unsure of what to say. It could be that he ate come Gillyweed, or performed a spell to make him breath underwater, but who knows how long he was in there for.

I scratched my head and looked down at the stranger opened his eyes. They were glassed over as if he were dreaming. He breathed raggedly and opened his mouth as if he were to say something. I leaned down with the other Professors to hear what he had to say. "Y-Yuna," He whispered in an American accent. I wasn't expecting that.

I looked over at the Headmaster as he furrowed his brow and watched the youth closely. "Professor?" I asked, wondering what he was thinking. "Severus, would you be so kind as to take this young man to the infirmary? I'm sure Poppy wouldn't mind taking care of him." I looked over the Headmaster carefully, seriously doubting his sense of judgment. As far as we knew this person could be a Death Eater. I scratched my head as I thought that over. Yeah, he could be one, but then again if he wasn't we would just be leaving an innocent man to die. I groaned as I shook my head and followed my Professors into the school.

* * *

_My head hurts, _I thought as I groaned and turned around on the bed I was laying on. I stopped and thought about what I just said, "It hurts . . ." I said out loud, more out of amazement then out of pain. Wait, I could _feel _pain. I was alive. I sat up in quickly in the bed and looked around at the pure whiteness surrounding me. "You're up!" said a stern voice to my right. I looked over to see a plump woman in a nurse's outfit. She looked kind of like the motherly type, only more teacher-like.

She walked over to me and put a potion in my face, telling me to drink. I sniffed, immediately knowing it was no ordinary potion, but drank it anyway. It made me feel much better. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before taking in my surroundings. It was a simple room, with a lot of beds, but oddly enough, no one was here but me and the stern woman. I blinked as I repeated what I said, "It hurts . . . " it still amazed me.

"What hurts?" asked the woman as she looked over my body. My head didn't hurt anymore thanks to the potion, but the pain meant that I was alive, that I had a body.

"No, no, no! You don't understand!" I said trying to explain to her how I was really feeling, "It hurts! I'm alive!" I laughed and jumped out of bed. I could feel the energy rushing through me as I stretched all the tiredness out of my body. "Thank you! Thank you!" I said while laughing as I twirled the older woman around in a small dance before doing a few back flips. I stumbled and fell on my behind on the last one, but I didn't break anything, so it was OK!

The nurse looked at me in shock as I displayed my childishness, but I didn't care. It felt so good to be alive again. After getting over her mild shock she coughed into her hand to get my attention, "Young man, do you know where you are?"

I looked around the room and blinked. I knew I wasn't in Spira, the Fayth had told me that I was going to another world. "Uh, a hospital?" I asked uncertainly as I looked around.

The woman shook her head as she gestured for me to sit down on the bed. To which I obeyed, not really wanting to her on her bad side. "You are lucky to be alive. I will not have you leave here until I say it is all right, do you understand?" I nodded and scratched the back of my head a little embarrassed. She was only doing her job after all.

"Ah, Poppy, is our young guest awake now?" said a new voice from the doorway. I looked over to see an old man, and when I say old I mean old. He had a long white beard that was almost dragging on the floor while his eyes twinkled with curiosity.

"Um, hello?" I asked as I looked the old man over. He reminded me of Meister Mika. Not a very pleasant memory and one that I would rather avoid remembering. "Hey look, I don't know where I am but I'm grateful that you helped me out." I decided to try and be friendly. I mean, it wasn't like this guy was going to hurt me, yet.

The old man seemed slightly surprised at my words, but he hid it as soon as he had showed it. "It was young Mr. Potter who found you, not I. I think you should direct your thanks toward him."

I grinned; this guy was a lot better than Mika. "Uh, great! So, when can I mean this, um Potter?" I asked a little uncertainly, the old man seemed surprised. "Well, if I'm gonna thank him I'm going to have to meet him right?" wasn't this common knowledge? The two people in front of me exchanged looks before eyeing me carefully. "What?" I asked, a little uncomfortable with their stares.

"Please forgive me," the old man said cautiously, "We are on the brink of war, and I'm afraid a stranger such as yourself, is not yet to be trusted. I will pass on your thanks to Mr. Potter if that is all right with you?" I shrugged as I scratched my head. It wasn't really that big of a deal, I just felt bad that I couldn't thank him in person.

"Sure, thanks. Sorry about the trouble." I said a bit awkwardly.

"It's no trouble at all, young man, although I have yet to ask your name?" I raised an eyebrow. Didn't this guy know that it was rude to ask someone for their name without giving yours first? I stretched and hopped off the bed, startling both of them.

"It's Tidus." I said as I looked around for my pouch. It was no longer connected to my waist, which made me a bit nervous. Those items were really valuable, and I could use them if we were really close to war. "Hey, have you seen my pouch?" I asked finally, seeing as how I was failing in my search. "It's kinda important to me." I finished as an afterthought.

"All in due time, but for now I would think that some questions and answers would be in order." I froze at the words the old man spoke. Now I was getting suspicious. He must have seen my reaction because all he did was smile, "I can assure you, Tidus, that you will not be harmed while under my care. I am simply curious about you." I breathed out the breath I didn't know I was holding and then turned to him.

"So, uh, what's your name again?" I asked trying to get a better understanding of this man. His blue eyes twinkled at the question before he answered, "My name is Albus Dumbledore." I rubbed my temples at the long name. I really didn't want to deal with this right now. "Can I just call you Albus? I mean, what's the point of having two names?"

He nodded before moving a bit and then gesturing for me to follow. "Oh, Albus! I must protest! He only just woke up and I haven't finished making sure that he is well!" Albus shook his head at Poppy and her worried stance. I was right she was the motherly type.

"I believe that young Tidus is fine at the moment. He is very lively and I am sure he would tell you if he was in any pain." I chuckled a bit at the irony. "I am not taking him out of the castle, I am simply showing him where he is at the moment." I sighed in relief as Poppy let us go on. I liked Poppy, just not hospitals. But, wait a minute, castle?

* * *

He wasn't lying when he said he was going to show me around. He practically took me everywhere in the damn castle. We passed a lot of kids in these weird cloaks on the way, and I could hear a lot of girls giggling as I walked by. This was really starting to scare me. We finally stopped at this weird statue thing at which the old man said a weird word, "Chocolate Frogs." I couldn't really fathom the idea of frogs being made of chocolate. I mean, who would want to eat that?

It wasn't too surprising that the statue jumped away. Similar things had happened in the Cloister of Trials, so why should I be surprised by a jumping statue? Oh yeah, it was a jumping statue in another world, with magic I was unfamiliar with. I rolled my eyes at my train of thought, _just laugh it off Tidus._ Hopefully Yuna's advice would help me through this.

We walked up a spiral staircase until we finally reached an office of some sort. I looked around at all the floating devices and strange items. What really caught my attention was the bird sitting at a perch of some sort. "Whoa, cool! A Phoenix!" I said excitedly as the bird chirped at me and ruffled its feathers. The old man chuckled before sitting in the seat behind the desk.

For the first time I noticed that there were other people in the room. There was a woman with purple hair, an old man with a lot of scars that reminded me of Auron, and a greasy-haired teacher with a snobbish look on his face. I grimaced as he glared at me. What did I do wrong? I heard the door behind me open and I turned sharply at the presence. It felt wild, like a fiend. I took a defensive stance as I watched a man walk in. I wasn't expecting that.

"Tidus? Are you acquainted with Remus?" I studied the man carefully. He had thin brown hair and a scar across his face. His presence was like a fiend's, but a bit different. More like a Ronso's. I calmed myself down before saying, "No, I'm not." The three other people in the room were pointing sticks at me for some reason. I shrugged and turned back to Albus.

With a wave of his stick, Albus summoned a chair out of nowhere. _So it's like a staff?_ I reasoned as I slowly sat down. "I apologize but we have some questions for you." I nodded, not really knowing what was going on. The greasy-haired man gave me a vial with some sort of clear potion inside. I raised an eyebrow at him and then at Albus. "That potion will assure us that you are telling the truth, it is not poison I assure you." I shrugged, bottoms up.

The potion may have looked like water, but it didn't taste like it. I gagged as I tasted the foreign liquid before looking at all the people now surrounding my chair. "Who are you?" asked the purple haired woman.

"Tidus." I answered simply.

"Where are you from?" asked the old man with scars.

I thought that one over for a minute. I could either say Zanarkind, Spira or the Fayth and it would have been the truth. Man was this difficult, "Zanarkind." I finally answered.

"Why are you here?" asked Albus

"To help defeat Voldemort." Or at least that was what the Fayth brought me here for.

The others seemed to give each other looks until the brown-haired man cleared his throat, "Why did you react the way you did when I walked in." I blinked, wasn't expecting that.

"I thought you were a fiend." I couldn't lie even if I wanted to.

"What is a 'fiend'?" asked Albus from his desk. Did he really not know what they were?

"When someone dies and they are not sent to the Farplane, they become jealous of the living and gain physical bodies from this jealousy, but the physical body is not human, it's animal." I answered, trying to remember what I was told about them. The crowd seemed to shift uncomfortably.

"What is the Farplane?" asked the purple-haired woman.

"The afterlife," was all I responded with.

They were whispering in bunches now. A few of them thought that the potion failed while another asked if Albus could tell if I was lying or not. I was really starting to get annoyed at how they talked about me like I wasn't even here. The chatter continued until Albus stood from his chair. "I apologize, but we find it very hard to believe you." I scratched my head in thought.

"Is there any other way, to um, you know, convince you that I mean no harm?" I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Sitting here was getting me nowhere. The small group of people seemed to whisper even more hurriedly as I just stared at them.

"Tidus, would you be willing to share your memories with us?" I gave him a weird look, "What I mean is, I can replicate your memories and show them as an illusion to everyone here, but I would need your permission to do so." I thought this over for a minute. Yeah, sure I would be trusted, but my memories were a private thing. Then again, if the Fayth knew about my memories, they probably weren't private anymore.

"Sure." I said after a few minutes of thinking it over. Hopefully it wouldn't hurt.

"Alright then, this will feel a bit odd, but don't worry," said the purple-haired woman with a grin. It oddly made me feel better. Or at least it made me feel better until her hair changed from purple to pink. A stick was pointed at my head and it felt oddly similar to a gun. I thought of all my best memories. When I met Wakka, Lulu and Yuna and how I started out as Yuna's Guardian. I was teaching her how to whistle, and laughing with her on the journey. These great memories also brought ones that I didn't want to remember. When I found out what would happen if I Summoner were to summon the Final Aeon. How we had to rescue Yuna from the bogus wedding, and how I had to disappear.

I looked to the side to see a silver light being drawn from my head. The light reminded me of the Pyraflies and the strange power they contained. Albus placed what could only be my memories in a vial before walking over to a bowl of some sort. I was getting tired of sitting so I followed them and watched as the old man poured the silvery contents into the bowl. He looked up at me and smiled a kind smile addressed me, "Tidus, would you watch with us?" I looked down at the bowl that now contained my memories.

"Sure." I said as I copied the other's movement and looked into the bowl. The next second I was dragged into my own memories or more specifically, the memory where I first met Wakka.

* * *

_Tidus was floating in the middle of a pure blue sea before waking up. "Rikku? Rikku!" He called, not really knowing where he was. A familiar ball was thrown at his head and as he studied it he knew what it was. _

"_Blitzball!" He said in an excited tone._

"_Hey! You OK?" he heard an accented yell from behind him. Swimming around he saw a man a few years older than him with curled up orange hair._

"_HEY!" he yelled back, swimming to shore, but not before hitting the Blitzball back. "Yo! Hiya?"_

"_You wanna try that move one more time?" asked the orange-haired man._

_Tidus grinned as he showed off his Blitzball skills._

"_Who you play for?"_

"_The Zanarkind Abes!"_

"_Haha, that's a good one."_

"_. . . ."_

"_Hey don't worry, Sin's toxin don't last forever, ja? You'll be fine soon, Bruder!"

* * *

_

"_But wait, what if something happens? What if the Summoner dies?"_

"_Only Guardians and their Summoners can go in there."_

"_Who cares!"

* * *

_

"_Is the Summoner alright?_

"_Uh, who . . . are you?" _

"_Sorry Lu, he just kinda ran in here."_

"_Wakka . . ."_

"_Told ya she was scary!"_

_The next moment the door to the Fayth opened up, and out stepped a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair and two different colored eyes. "I've done it! I've become a Summoner!"

* * *

_

I watched as my memories replayed themselves. It went from the disaster in Kilika to the betrayal of Yevon and finally to the Zanarkind ruins, where we cast away our false hope. I found myself gridding my teeth at the sight of Yuna's wedding.

When it came to facing my father in the final battle, I pulled myself from my memories. The others hadn't even noticed as I was the first one to get out. By now, they were probably watching what I saw. Watching the Aeons vanish, along with Sin, until finally I had to disappear too, like a dream. That was all the memory I gave them. I didn't want them to see me wallowing in my memories that would be a bit embarrassing.

I sat in the chair and waited as one by one they came out of whatever trance they were in. I sighed as most of them gave me pitying glances. I really didn't want to deal with this right now. "Uh, hey do you think I could go rest now? I'm really tired and uh-" I was cut short by the hand that Albus raised. I looked up at his face only to see watered eyes that were accompanied by a frown.

"I will arrange for a room. Severus, would you show him to his quarters? Also, I would like to arrange a meeting with Mr. Potter. I believe you wished to thank him?" My eyes lit up at his words. Finally, they didn't doubt me. I grinned and followed the greasy-haired man out of the office. Today wasn't so hot, but hopefully tomorrow would be better. Hopefully.

* * *

Me: YAY! 4,364 words. I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written.

Friend: 0.0 I think you're right. I congratulate you.

Me: YAY!


	3. Chapter 2

Me: I'm so tired . . . I have to go to school after this . . . .

Friend: You are so hopeless . . . .

* * *

I awoke about an hour before dawn. It was probably due to my habit that I woke up so early. Before the pilgrimage I would get up early to train for the next Blitzball tournament and even during the pilgrimage we always left when we could. It was rare when we stopped to rest.

The sunrise wasn't as breathtaking as it was in Spira, or even Zanarkand. In fact, it looked so pale compared to the bright summer sun. This world was colder, no doubt about that. I could only see the sunrise from my window, though.

I wasn't really sure if I should be wandering around. From what it looked like, everyone was jumpy at me being here. I tried to remember what the Fayth had told me about this world. If they really were as close to war as they said they were then why weren't they preparing?

This place has so many kids in it that I was sure it would be vulnerable to an attack, unless the kids were trained in some way. That just seemed unfair though. Did the adults really expect children to take up and fix their mistakes? I shut my eyes and thought of my own father, Auron and all the people in Spira who expected Yuna and I to fix everything. Yes, they probably did expect it.

"Unfair . . ." I heard myself whisper in anger. Yeah, it was unfair, but what can you do in a world that is unfair? Nothing, absolutely nothing and that is what was so frustrating about it.

* * *

Wandering the school was a bit frustrating at first. The largest building I had been in was the Bevelle Temple and even then the route that we took was pretty straight forward considering that we were running away. It was annoying but I got used to the routes and so, on after the first day. I was surprised that they had even let me wander on my own. I mean, they were in the middle of war. Oddly enough though, they had even given back my pouch after they saw the contents. The only thing they took away was my sword, but I didn't even need that to attack if I had to.

This place sure was strange; it was like they didn't consider anything else a threat other than their sticks (or wands from what I heard) or swords. I was tempted to ask if they had any machina but then I thought about what the Fayth had told me. There was machina in this world but it wasn't used by the people who used magic. Instead it was used by the people who showed no magic ability. This was very similar to Spira, with the Al Bhed and the Yevonites. There was something off, though. The Al Bhed mixed magic with their machina to make it stronger and sometimes it proved to be even stronger than ten people with magic. If these were the only people who could use magic then why weren't they expanding it?

From what I could see, there are so many disadvantages to just standing still while holding a stick. For one, it would dull your instincts. You would be so concentrated on what's in front of you that you wouldn't think to move when a spell was coming toward you. Another disadvantage would be the stick itself. Although it could hold magic just fine, it would be much too fragile in battle. What if you lost hold of it or worse, it snapped? I could name about five more, but those two seemed to be the most important ones. I could see why this world needed me.

I was walking down the lawn to where some kid named Potter had found me. Apparently I was floating in the lake and they thought I had drowned. That sort of hurt my pride, considering I could hold my breath for fifteen minutes, but I let it go. It didn't look like there were any Blitzers here so I could only guess that they can't hold their breath for very long.

I walked down to the edge of the lake, the only large body of water in sight. It was water, but it sure didn't remind me of home. The lake was so murky that I couldn't even see my feet when I put them in. It was unusually cold too. Not as cold as the water in the ruins I had woken up in, but it was unnaturally cold compared to the weather. Which was nice and sunny, something I would always enjoy.

I stepped back out of the water and let myself fall on my back. I lifted my hand to cover my eyes from the sun. It was a nice day, but for some reason it just didn't seem as nice as it should be. I sat up and looked around, trying to find the answer. Then it hit me. No one was outside. It was a bright, sunny and beautiful day and no one was outside.

I looked back at the castle, wondering why they would lock students inside just to teach them something. I mean, they could probably teach them the same stuff if they were outside, right? School was something I dropped after I became a professional Blitzball player so I really didn't know much. I sighed; thinking about it would get me nowhere. Maybe I should just go inside and see what all the fuss was about.

I pulled myself up and stretched out my unused muscles. It felt so weird not to be attacked wherever I went. Usually there were some fiends around or at least something to do. I felt all this pent-up energy in me and I didn't know what to do with it. A bell rang in the distance, signaling something but as to what I didn't know. I shrugged and walked back up to the castle, not really knowing what else to do.

When I reached the doors I realized that there was a lot more students wandering around. Maybe that bell was the sign for the end of class. Many of these students piled themselves into what Albus said was the Great Hall. I tried to remember what I had been told as he showed me around.

* * *

*Flashback*

"_If you ever find yourself in need of food you are welcome to join us in the Great Hall. I will have an empty seat ready for you, seeing as you are our guest," said Albus with a light smile on his lips. I nodded, not really sure if I should. Normally I had no problem being stared at but this was another world, and those kids made me really uneasy._

_*_End Flashback*

* * *

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms in thought. I was pretty hungry, and the Great Hall was right there. But, was food really worth all those judging looks? My stomach protested quite loudly and I sighed. Yeah, I needed the food, so what?

I waited for all the students to gather up in the Great Hall before me so that I didn't have to mingle with them. Normally I would love to talk to someone but everyone here treated me like Sin! I slipped through the open doorway and spotted Albus sitting on this grand, very cliché king's chair. The thing was though; it actually looked kind of cool.

I scanned the teacher's table and found that there was only one chair open. That was for me, I assumed. To my dismay, it wasn't on the end; it was only a seat away from Albus. I swallowed, hoping the chair really wasn't for me, but for another teacher who was simply missing. I gathered my courage and walked up to the table to address Albus.

"Uh," I said, trying to get his attention, the old man turned to me with a smile on his face and twinkling eyes. I resisted the urge to twitch.

"Ah, Tidus my boy! How lovely for you to join us. Your seat is over there." He pointed to the empty seat that I had prayed wasn't mine. Damn the Fayth. I nodded and went over to sit in the seat. It was really comfortable, but I felt uneasy all the same. On my right was the greasy-haired teacher while on my left was a plump, cheery old woman.

I looked over the Hall and at the students. There were four tables, each with their own colors. One had a nice shade of green with silver to line it up. There was a banner with a snake over it that contained these colors. I looked over at the next table that had a yellow banner and a badger. Then there was the blue banner over the next table that had a raven. The last one was a deep red with a lion on it. I raised an eyebrow at these different symbols. It confused me.

"Excuse me," I asked the witch to my left, "What are the different colors for?" I decided that being polite wouldn't be a bad idea, considering. The old witch beamed at me but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Yeah, I knew I would be suspected.

"Don't worry dear, I've heard of you from Dumbledore," It took me a second that she was referring to Albus. "They represent the different Houses within our school. You see, a house is a group of students who share similar qualities. For example; you see the banner with the badger?" I nodded, not wanting to interrupt her, "That is Hufflepuff, the House that favors being kind and hard-working." I smiled, those were pretty good qualities. "There's also Ravenclaw, the blue one, they favor intelligence." I looked over at the table with the blue banner to see many students with books. "Then there's Slytherin," Her tone changed slightly at the mention of this House. "They favor cunningness and trickery." It wasn't like those qualities were bad; they just weren't especially good either. "Lastly there's the Gryffindors," She pointed to the one with the lion, "They favor courage." I overlooked the last table. Courage wasn't a bad thing, but from my experience it most likely got you killed.

"Thank you," I said, offering her a light smile. I reached out to grab some food that looked pretty safe. "I've never really been to school before, so I wouldn't know what happens." I poked my food with my fork, not really sure if I should eat it or not.

The old woman seemed to be stunned at my statement. Did I say something wrong? Going to school was optional where I was from. Even then, school was pretty much just a teacher lecturing to kids about the history of the world. Things like math and languages came over-time. I remembered Rikku telling me that the Al Bhed had a higher education system, but that was only because they needed to work machina, and any mistake could be fatal.

"Oh!" I said, realizing how rude I had been. Lulu would have smacked me if she were here. "I'm sorry," I continued turning to the old lady, "What's your name?"

She blinked twice in surprise before she answered me, "It's Professor Sprout, dear." I flinched a little at being called 'dear'. It was what my mom used to call my dad when they were alone.

"Ok, sorry about that, I'm Tidus. Lulu would have had my head if she saw me being so rude to someone older than me," I took a bite of something that had a light-tan color. It was pretty good.

"How old are you?" Professor Sprout asked as she cut up her own lunch.

"Seventeen, I turn eighteen in autumn," I answered.

Sprout only gasped, "You're barely an adult!"

I quirked an eyebrow at her, "Yeah, so?"

"Why aren't you in school?" she asked gapping at me, oh no.

I decided to answer honestly, "My old man pulled me out of it so that he could train me to be a Blitzball player." I took another bite of the strange meat.

"If I talked to the Headmaster . . ." I heard her whisper. Oh, damn the Fayth on my luck.

"Don't bother, I don't have the concentration to be locked inside all day, and as you said, I am an adult. Also, I don't think the teachers would be able to tolerate me." I finished with that and went back to my meal. I could tell that she wanted to ask more questions but my childhood wasn't something I really liked to talk about.

The food wasn't too bad. It was strange, but it filled me up nicely and allowed me enough energy to explore the rest of the castle. There were so many whispers all around me that I felt like some rare fiend on display. More than once I had caught a group of girls giggling at me as they were passing. I felt like they were making fun of me, but their giggling didn't seem to be the mocking type so I let it go.

I didn't reach my room until the sun was starting to disappear into the horizon. I wasn't tired, to be honest but there really wasn't much to do but wait until I met the kid I was supposed to help. Not to mention I had to thank that Potter person for helping me. I sighed and fell on my bed; I wasn't in the mood for dinner. I laid there until my body finally gave up and went to sleep.

* * *

Me: Goodnight . . .

Friend: GO TO SCHOOL!


End file.
